WALLY celebrates Walla Walla Frontier Days

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The scorching hot sun didn’t stop the people of Walla Walla from coming out in full-force to celebrate Frontier Days. Frontier Days has been taking place every year since 1866, making it the longest-running fair in all of Washington State!

The current iteration of the fair includes exciting rodeos, fantastic food, and ridiculous rides. However, it hasn’t always been this way! It has adapted and evolved a lot over the past 15 decades. While in Walla Walla, the WALLY team decided to brush up on the fair’s history.

Here are some fun facts we learned:

The first fair was 147 years ago, 23 years before Washington was even a state.

The tradition actually began in 1863 with a horse race on the newly constructed track north of town.

It wasn’t until 1866, however, that the Walla Walla Agricultural society decided to fuse the horse race event with a showcase of the area’s newest crops and farming methods.

Then in 1913, the fair introduced a Wild West Show, showcasing the ever-so-popular cowboys of the time. The fair we see today is a combination of all the best trends and attractions over the year, which is why the fair can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

We also learned that the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days has experienced a multitude of names, including the Fair of Washington Territory Agriculture, Manufacturing and Art Fostering Society, the Walla Walla County Fair Association, the Southeastern Washington Fair, and finally, the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days. But, despite all the name changes, the fun and family atmosphere has remained consistent in this fantastic fair tradition over the years.

Unfortunately we didn’t see any Walla Walla Wine Wine Woman Woman at the fair, but I’m sure it was because they were out at the vineyards. We had an amazing time at Frontier Days and we can’t wait to return next year.